


Rose-Coloured Feelings

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, Fluff, Identity Issues, Light Angst, Marichat, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, Plagg Loves Cheese, Post-Episode: s02 Mayura (Heroes' Day Part 2), Secret Identity, Tags May Change, Timeline is after the season 2 finale, if you can call it that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Chat Noir and Ladybug discuss the possibility that they'll never know who the other is under the mask, and as devastating as that is to Adrien, Ladybug offers a piece of advice that he slowly starts to make sense of."Maybe there’s an everyday Ladybug already in your life."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> every time i try writing a fic it usually doesn't feel natural to write and i end up hating it, but this? two dorks in love? wow is this my true niche?

“A question, Ladybug,” Chat Noir starts, eyes gazing over the city that sprawls before the two. Ladybug nods beside him, prompting him to keep going. “What do you think will happen after we defeat Hawkmoth?”

It’s not the first time they’ve talked about the subject, but the question is enough to give Ladybug some pause before answering.

“Your guess is as good as mine. We still do heroic work that doesn’t involve Hawkmoth and his akumas, so I like to think we will still be superheroes…” A beat. “I don’t want to lose my kwami, if I’m honest. Tikki is one of my best friends, as are you, Chat.”

His heart flutters at her words, a reaction he has far too often and he gives a light laugh. “I feel the same way,” he says, dreamy eyes giving way to a more thoughtful look. “Plagg can be demanding and spoilt, but my life would be… lonely, for lack of a better word. And without you to look forward to seeing—well, that’s something I find unimaginable.”

Their conversation hangs in the air after that, both of them silent as they keep watch for any trouble. It’s uncertain how long they sit like that.

“Do you think Hawkmoth will give up peacefully?” Ladybug asks, surprising Chat Noir. This… have they ever talked about this?

“What do you mean?” he asks, then continuing before she can clarify. “The last time we had him cornered he decided that fighting five against one was a logical move.”

“No—well, yes, there was that—but I mean, do you think he’ll stop once we confiscate his Miraculous?”

“He… maybe?” Chat offers unsurely. His face falls. “With all he’s done, he should be behind bars for a long time, but somehow I don’t think that will stop him. After all, we know he has some allies now after what happened on Heroes' Day.”

His answer has Ladybug mirroring his own frown, looking down to her lap as she thinks. His stomach twists with every second she spends silent. He regrets starting the conversation, but it feels like something they should be talking about.

“We may be at this for years to come,” she says. Her words do nothing to quell the uneasy feeling in the pit of Chat’s stomach. “Fighting off bad guys, keeping secrets.” Ladybug’s brow furrows. “Every time I lie to keep my identity under wraps I feel terrible, even though I know it’s the right thing to do.”

“It sounds like you hate lying as much as I do,” Chat sighs, placing a gentle hand on Ladybug’s shoulder. “But—and I hate to say it—you’re absolutely right. I’ve dreamt about letting you know who I am under the mask, thinking that we couldn’t be akumatised and yet… Queen Bee, Rena Rouge and Carapace? All of them…”

The way Ladybug smiles but fails to let it meet her eyes tells Chat that he’s voiced exactly what she’s trying to get at. He can only assume that as time has gone on she’s begun to feel trapped by her superheroine persona, unable to talk to anyone in her everyday life about her thoughts and fears when it comes to protecting Paris. She has Chat, of course, but he understands just as well that having a friend out of costume would ease some of the pressures of their jobs.

“And you have feelings for me,” Ladybug adds, catching Chat Noir off guard again. His face blooms pink, embarrassed that she can call him out so easily. Her blunt words catch up with her upon seeing his face. “At least—I think? Don’t you? I’m sorry, that was—”

“No, you’re right,” he cuts in, raising his hands. “But my feelings will never get in the way of our friendship and our team, I promise.”

She fidgets with a strand of her hair and scuffs her foot against the concrete roof they’re sitting on. “That’s sweet, Chat, but… doesn’t it hurt?” Her voice is careful, like she’s trying not to breach into sensitive territory.

“Hm? Love does a lot of things, but I don’t think it’s supposed to hurt.”

Ladybug rolls the thought over in her mind, still playing with her hair. “It… does for me? But maybe what I have is… unrequited. In some ways? I still can’t talk to the boy I like as comfortably as I want. And I don’t even think he sees me as anything other than a friend, so being around him when I feel so much _hurts_.” Her hand finds her chest, gripping at the fabric of her suit for emphasis. “I feel terrible sometimes, wondering if I’ve put you through that.”

Chat Noir blinks in realisation. “Heartache, right? When you put it like that, I suppose I have felt that way at times.” Ladybug winces. “But that was before I was able to be honest with you. It doesn’t hurt nearly as much now that I can talk to you about it.”

“But doesn’t it bother you that we may never know each other without our masks?” she asks, voice barely above a murmur.

“Well.” Chat leans back, looking up to the sky. He tries to swallow down the unease working its way up. “I hadn’t thought about it like that until now.”

Ladybug flinches. “Oh! Chat, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–” She slaps her hands to her face and groans. “I didn’t want to make you feel worse!”

Chat’s smile wobbles when he tries to look at Ladybug. He really hadn’t thought about it. He loves her with all of his heart, but he wants to love all of her, too. Even if she declared her love for him here and now, the next step he would want to take together would be to get to know her as Adrien.

The heartache comes back in full swing, squeezing his chest until he feels he has to gasp for air. He tries to shake it—he wants to be happy just having Ladybug here with him—but the reality of it all is stifling. Is this how Ladybug feels with her own crush? All the time? He feels sorry for her, quietly wishing that this boy of hers would wise up already and treat her right.

“Don’t worry about it, Ladybug,” Chat Noir breathes. He tries a grin and this time it doesn’t waver. “It was important. It doesn’t make me feel any less, but I suppose a bit of a reality check is needed every now and again. Actually, it makes me want to catch Hawkmoth even more, now.”

Ladybug’s expression is nothing but apologetic, even with her reciprocating smile. She takes his hand into hers and squeezes, firm and reassuring. “Even so, Chat… I don’t think you should hold yourself back,” she tells him slowly. “I know how painful it can be to wait. As superheroes it’s almost impossible to do anything without it being a danger to those around us, but whoever you are in your everyday life… I think he deserves to be happy.”

Chat blinks slowly, not quite grasping what she’s trying to suggest.

She pinches the bridge of her nose, recognising his confusion. “What I mean is—don’t hold yourself back because of me. There’s no doubt in my mind that someone out there can make you happier than I ever could, someone you can freely like and be liked back by. You don’t have to listen to me, of course, but… think about it? Maybe there’s an everyday Ladybug already in your life.”

Chat Noir cups the hand that Ladybug placed on his, locking his gaze with hers. “Thank you, but I already know that no one could replace you.”

… Right?

 

* * *

 

Adrien slips back into his bedroom unnoticed, detransforming and sprawling out on his couch, looking up to the ceiling with a light sigh. Plagg has already raided his personal stash of cheese and hangs over Adrien’s head while he swallows a slice whole. It’s the little things that Adrien thinks he would miss if he ever had to give up his Miraculous.

“You know, you take rejection from Ladybug surprisingly well,” he comments, floating down and curling his tiny body up on Adrien’s chest.

“It didn’t feel like rejection.” Adrien looks to his open window, watching a pigeon that’s perched itself on the sill. “She just wants me to be happy.”

“And she makes a fair point. I know you’re really into the whole lovesick appearance, but if she still has that silly crush of her own _and_ you can’t take off the mask yet, well… I know you don’t understand my deep love for camembert, but maybe it would shock you to know that it wasn’t my first love.” He closes his eyes and stretches briefly, getting ready to settle into a nap.

While talk of cheese doesn’t usually pique Adrien’s interest, the idea that his kwami hasn’t always been singing love songs for his favourite stinky snack is almost unthinkable. He tilts his head up, prodding Plagg to make sure he doesn’t fall asleep just yet. “What do you mean?”

Plagg tries to kick away Adrien’s finger, peeking an eye open. “Camembert is fairly recent as far as cheeses go,” he explains. “Brie was my darling before it– the Queen’s Cheese, they called it! I always thought to myself ‘could you imagine anything more divine?’ but... things change, you find something better. I suppose that’s how the world goes. It’s almost beautiful to imagine in the next hundred years or so that they’ll make something even creamier! I almost can’t wait.”

He did ask, but he can’t help a slight roll of his eyes when Plagg starts to swoon again. “Ladybug isn’t cheese, though. She’s amazing. Just… the greatest person I’ve ever met. She is my camembert.”

Plagg retches, kicking at Adrien as he pretends to be sick. “Bleugh! Gross! Keep your feelings away from my cheese, thank you! You can hardly make a comparison like that when you’ve never had anything other than Ladybug, anyway!” He decides that he doesn’t want to use Adrien as a pillow anymore and perches on the head of the couch. “Not that you’ve ever had Ladybug at all. You don’t even know who she is under the suit—and don’t you dare say she’s the girl of your dreams!”

The words die in Adrien’s throat. Is he really that predictable, or has he said that one before? His cheeks flush in embarrassment. “But going after someone else would feel so… so _wrong_ , Plagg. I’d be lying to myself and anyone involved.”

“But if it can’t go anywhere then what’s the point!” Plagg complains. He rubs at his stomach and floats away to his personal trash can, effectively ending the argument before it can really start. “All this love talk is terrible for my digestion,” he mutters as he disappears inside the bin.

Adrien groans, letting Plagg have the last say on this one. The idea that he’ll never find out Ladybug’s identity has slowly been filling him with panic since leaving the superheroine’s side and there’s no way that Plagg hadn’t picked up on it during his transformation. It’s touching that he tried to help, even if it almost turned into a fight.

He sits down at his piano, needing an outlet for his nervous energy more than ever now and begins to play, soft enough that he shouldn’t hear any complaints from his kwami. He doesn’t have a particular tune in mind, but the simple motion of playing is already setting his mind at ease. He thinks about what Ladybug said without drifting too far from the music and it helps to keep his feelings neutral as he combs over everything.

The only time he stumbles with the keys is when he comes to what she said to him before they parted. ‘Maybe there’s an everyday Ladybug already in your life’. At the time he couldn’t think of anyone since she had been right in front of him, but the words ring with familiarity now. He’s used the term before, he realises. Only once, but the person in question seems to take all of Ladybug’s examples to heart, right down to liking a boy that doesn’t seem to notice her back.

He doesn’t think that he has feelings for Marinette like he does for Ladybug, but maybe he can help her out with her crush instead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter where i try to cram in as many cliches as possible to get it out of my system

Adrien has no plan of attack when he comes into school the next day. He isn’t sure what he wants to ask Marinette or even how to, realising that he only ever talked to her about crushes and love as Chat Noir and even with that tidbit of information that she has someone in mind, he still doesn’t know who her love is for. He doubts that he’s close enough with her to even breach the subject, since they still have some difficulty with regular conversations now and again. He knows Marinette can be confident and outgoing, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she still isn’t sure about Adrien after they got off on the wrong foot. They’re both trying, but sometimes he still wishes that he hadn’t been caught trying to get gum off of her chair.

He’s fidgeting during most of his classes, only ever stopping when Nino strikes up a conversation or the teacher happens to glance his way. He needs to be closer to Marinette if he has a chance of helping her, but he wishes he had the freedom of Chat Noir to fall back on. Maybe Ladybug has a point. How can he be happy as Adrien when he doesn’t even like  _ being _ Adrien?

Class is over before he realises it and Nino is waiting on him now, brow quirked in questioning. “Did you hear anything I just said?” he asks.

“Oh. No, um, sorry,” Adrien apologises. “I had a rough night and not enough coffee.”

Nino snorts, clapping a hand on Adrien’s back as they both stand and collect their books. “I was just saying that you should come hang out after school. Alya suggested seeing a new movie that looks terrible and was thinking of seeing it with Marinette, maybe we can all go and poke fun at it.”

He beams, nodding before he even thinks about whether his father will allow it. “Yeah! That sounds great.” It’s a perfect opportunity to talk to Marinette. If he had to conjure up a situation just to talk to her he has no doubt something would go wrong. “I’ll have to check to make sure I’m allowed, but I’d definitely like to be there. When was everyone thinking of meeting up?”

“Eh, something like six o’clock? We can have dinner, too,” Nino says enthusiastically. It’s not typical for him to suggest dinner when they all go out, but it sounds like he’s using the outing as an excuse to have a date with Alya.

“It’s starting to sound more like a date plus two, but okay,” Adrien teases, snickering when Nino pulls his cap down to hide his reddening face. A Chat-like grin pulls at his lips. “You’re not scared to be alone with Alya, are you?”

“Of course not!” Nino huffs, swinging his book bag over his shoulder. “I’m perfectly fine around her! She’s the one that suggested inviting you.”

Adrien barks a laugh. “Ouch! Well, at least I know what our friendship means to you, now.”

“Whatever. Be there or be square, dude,” Nino says, making it to the doorway before pausing. “But also… please be there. I’d hate for Marinette to feel like a third wheel.”

“Alright,” Adrien says with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

* * *

His father must have been in a good mood this afternoon, because Adrien doesn’t need to pull teeth to get permission to go out with his friends.

He arrives at the movie theatre early thanks to the fact that he didn’t need to wait around for his father to say yes, so he decides to go ahead and buy tickets for everyone before they can argue against it. He knows that Alya and Marinette especially don’t like him footing the bill despite having the money for it, but he also knows that they appreciate the gesture deep down.

Once he has their tickets he sits down at one of the snack bar tables, brushing away bits of popcorn from the seat before settling into it. He hears Plagg’s hum of appreciation from his shirt pocket and grins, figuring that he’s caught the scent of the butter. He’ll have to make sure to sneak some to him during the movie.

Marinette is the first of his friends to arrive after only a short time waiting. It’s unusual for her or Adrien to be early to things, but maybe she was having a streak of good luck today, too. His nerves from today catch up to him when she spots him, smiling brightly and waving. He gestures her over, but his tongue suddenly feels thick in his mouth. He shouldn’t be freaking out. Why is he freaking out?

“Hey, Marinette! Here for the movie, too?” He’s acutely aware of Plagg’s snickering and adjusts his arm in a way that knocks against the pocket he’s hiding in. “I mean… of course you’re here for the movie. I bought us the tickets?”

Marinette is nice enough to ignore his little flub, sitting down on the opposite side of the table. “Oh! You didn’t have to do that, Adrien.” 

They both smile and it falls silent, filling the air with an uncomfortable tension. He taps his foot against the leg of his seat while she idly stares at the snack menu. 

“Ask about her day,” Plagg hisses up to Adrien.

Marinette turns, brows furrowing. “Sorry, what did you say? I was just trying to decide if I want anything.”

Adrien laughs perhaps a little too loud. “Right! I was just trying to ask… how was your day?”

She shrugs, a mild grin on her lips. “Well, I still don’t really understand physics even though I’ve had the formulas explained to me at least fifty times now. I don’t think I’ll ever be as amazing as you.” She blinks. “...At the subject.” Her eyes flit to the entryway, searching for Alya and Nino. Still no sign of them. “How about you? You seemed tired.”

He nods, not judging her for letting the awkward atmosphere get to her too. “Yeah, you know me. A full schedule isn’t very forgiving if I have trouble sleeping.”

“Oh, no.” She pouts. “Are you alright? Has there been something on your mind…?”

“Well, yes,” Adrien admits, unable to keep his eyes on Marinette. He could ask her right now if she wants to hang out more, but he doesn’t think it will go well when things feel as awkward as they do. He doesn’t understand what the problem is. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine now. Uh, did you want to queue up for food while we wait for Alya and Nino to get here?”

Thankfully Marinette agrees and the distraction dissipates some of the tension. She’s still humming indecisively even when they’re two away from being served, so Adrien throws out a suggestion.

“We could share some popcorn? Nino mentioned dinner after the movie, so something light might be better,” he explains.

Her eyes look to haze over for a second before she’s back, nodding and stepping up to the counter when it’s their turn. “A medium popcorn, please. To share,” she adds, voice jumping an octave.

The employee behind the counter glances between them and smirks at Adrien, accepting his payment and then making up their order. In the back of his mind he knows what that look means, but refuses to acknowledge it. Alya and Nino will be there soon and then he doesn’t have to think about how much of a date this feels like.

At least, that’s what he thinks until he checks his phone for the time and finds a message from Nino. 

‘Sorry, dude, family emergency with Alya and I need to help her babysit her siblings! Maybe another time?’

He can’t decide if it’s a blessing or a curse. On one hand he can bond with Marinette like he wanted, but on the other hand… he still hasn’t worked out how to talk to Marinette.

He looks up to find her checking her own phone and frowning. Adrien sighs, showing her Nino’s message. “I guess it’s just us now? I can always give the tickets away if you didn’t want to see the movie with just me, I’d understand.”

She shakes her head. “No! I do! We can still see it. You should get them to pay you back for the money you spent on the extra two, though. They could have said something sooner,” she grumbles.

He appreciates that she’s frustrated on his behalf for wasting his money, but doesn’t mention that he won’t ask them to pay him back. “If you’re sure,” Adrien says, moving towards the attendant checking tickets now that they aren’t waiting on anyone. 

He hands over two of the tickets and they’re directed down to the cinema the movie is being shown in. There are a few other people here to see it as well, but there are easily more seats than people. Adrien takes a seat in the middle of one of the back rows and Marinette hovers for a moment before sitting next to him. He offers her the popcorn, taking a few pieces for himself.

“Thank you,” Marinette murmurs. “You were probably looking forward to hanging out with the others as well.”

“If I’m honest,” he replies slowly, carefully. “I’ve been wanting to spend time with you, Marinette. We don’t really get the chance to do that a lot, do we?” 

Marinette stares at him. “...You want to spend time with me?” she asks, as if that’s so hard to believe.

“Of course,” Adrien tells her. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re a great friend, Marinette.”

Something in her posture falters and he can’t place if it was her relaxing or slumping. She doesn’t push the conversation further, preferring to stay quiet as the pre-movie advertisements begin to show. They both reach for the popcorn at some point, touching hands and reeling back. Heat rises in his cheeks and he tries to laugh off the feeling, noticing Marinette does the same. 

Adrien sneaks the popcorn to Plagg when the lights lining the walls dim and as the movie starts he can immediately tell that this isn’t going to be good. He didn’t read up on what they were seeing or watch any trailers, but judging by the opening title and introduction of an ‘all-powerful’ villain threatening the world, it’s a bad superhero film. If Alya was the one to suggest it then he probably should have expected that.

The next hour or so is filled with confusing plot points, a few conflicts that are jam-packed with awful special effects and a love story pushed onto the protagonist that doesn’t feel like it belongs  in the movie. As a superhero, Adrien can’t really say that any of the struggles were realistic on a deeper level. At least the popcorn was good.

Neither Adrien or Marinette say anything until they’re out of the theatre and back in the foyer, taking a moment to collect themselves.

“That… sucked,” Marinette states.

Adrien bursts out laughing, surprised that she would be so blunt with her criticism. “Wow, you don’t pull any punches, do you?”

“Did you think it was good?” she accuses, to which Adrien shakes his head, still laughing. “There were so many things that they could have done to stop the villain and instead they decided the only way to save the day was to sacrifice the hero. That feels so lazy!”

“It was pretty bad,” Adrien admits. “I don’t really understand who the movie was for, either.”

“No one,” Marinette scoffs, sending Adrien into snickers again. “Sorry, I’ll let up. Um… positives? I did find some of the jokes funny.”

He nods in agreement. “I liked the love interest. She was smart and kind—much better superhero material, if you ask me.” He’s glad that Marinette is smiling and laughing with him. It feels much better than the slow conversation they were having before the movie. “If they ever did a live action film of Ladybug and Chat Noir, I think the actress would make an excellent Ladybug.”

There he goes again. He can’t help it, can he?

Marinette hums, pursing her lips as she thinks on that one. “You think so?”

Adrien’s answer is cut off by a tremor that rattles the building. An explosion? It’s followed by laughter and a dozen moviegoers pushing past each other as they scramble to get out of the building. 

“Adrien, quickly—”  
“Marinette, go—”

They turn to each other in startled silence. Were they both about to suggest hiding to each other?

Not that there’s any time to. The akuma bursts through a wall, locking onto Marinette and Adrien as soon as they’re in sight. He looks eerily similar to the antagonist of the film they just saw, clad in a grey suit with sharp black accents. He wields the same telekinetic powers as the villain, too, demonstrated by the claw machine that comes flying towards them.

Adrien tackles Marinette out of the way, feeling the barest caress of metal against his skin as they go down. They pull themselves up just as fast, looking up in time to see the purple outline of a butterfly fading from the akuma’s face, indicating that Hawkmoth has just relayed instructions.

“You think it’s easy to defeat a supervillain?” the akuma asks, directing his attention to Marinette. Looks like someone had a difference of opinion about the movie. “Let’s see how well you do then, girl. I am Critique!”

“I don’t even have superpowers!” Marinette shouts. “How is that fair?”

“We could fix that, if you’d like. There are plenty of methods out there. We could try a dip in some radioactive sludge, or maybe a spider bite? Perhaps I could drop you off of a building and see if you sprout wings and fly,” Critique offers, grin full of spite. He raises a hand and an unseen force picks Marinette up, pulling her away from Adrien. “How about we start with the latter, it’s much easier. A fall from the Eiffel Tower feels appropriate.”

“No, Marinette!”

Adrien lunges for Critique but barely catches his heels as the akuma flies effortlessly out of the building with Marinette in tow. He runs out after them and turns into the first alley he comes across, opening up his shirt pocket to let Plagg out.

“Plagg, transform me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm trying to limit myself to one scene break per chapter so i don't throw off the pacing but that means i need to cliff hang right here oTL
> 
> thank you for the response so far on the fic! all of your comments are encouraging and i'm excited to write more c:


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me like how do fight scene?? this chapter is a bit of a mess but i still had fun making it

While Chat would usually wait for Ladybug before going into a fight, he can’t wait for her when the akuma is planning on dropping his friend from the top of a building. He vaults over street after street without much thought, causing a few stumbles and near-falls, but his eyes are focused on the figures approaching Paris’ famous monument.

He arrives moments after the akuma, who doesn’t notice his presence right away, preferring to taunt Marinette by holding her over the edge of the tower. Chat Noir grits his teeth, wanting to use this moment to launch a surprise attack, but uncertain if a loss of focus will cause Critique to drop her.

“Hey!” Chat shouts instead, trying for a distraction. “How about you put the girl down and we can fight this the traditional way, hero to villain?”

“Chat Noir, wait—!” Marinette shouts, trying to struggle against Critique’s hold on her.

He expects the akuma to at least turn to face him, but instead he gets a palm raised in his direction, psychic powers lashing out and squeezing his body until he can’t move. He drops his baton, watching in despair as it rolls off of the edge. 

“Are you really the hero, though?” Critique jeers, forming a fist with his hand and drawing Chat closer. “Destroying everything you touch isn’t a very noble power if Ladybug isn’t around to fix your mess.”

“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” Chat sighs, rolling his eyes. “You akumas all poke at the same sore spot, it starts not to hurt as much after a while.”

Critique growls and hovers Chat over the edge of the tower with Marinette, eyeing them both. “I could drop you both right now,” he warns. His finger twitches and they both jump a fraction downwards, but then Hawkmoth begins to communicate with Critique again. The annoyed expression blooms into a sly grin. “How about a deal, Chat Noir? Your Miraculous for this girl’s life. That sounds fair, right?”

Chat’s heart falls to the pit of his stomach. There’s no way he could be as selfish to say no to this, and yet… is this really all it takes for Hawkmoth to get the upper hand? Ladybug is nowhere to be seen, either, so it’s not like he could say no and hope that she’ll pluck them from the air. He really has no other option…

Critique snickers gleefully, pleased to stump Chat Noir like this. “How delicious is this? You’re proving my point as we speak.” He shifts his gaze to Marinette, who looks shades paler than she did before. “Marinette, was it? Now how do you feel? Your life hangs in the balance, but the hero’s sacrifice can solve it. I’d almost be willing to let you go if you admit your wrongs.”

“He really has me in a corner here,” Chat admits bleakly, glancing at Marinette. But what was he supposed to do? Ladybug isn’t here and he couldn’t just let her fall.

“Is that acceptance I hear?” Critique chirps. He pulls Chat forward and there’s a glint in his eyes that’s unnerving. “Hm, now… I need my other hand for this, don’t I?”

Terror lances through Chat Noir, knowing exactly what he’s implying. It feels like he’s watching in slow motion as Critique moves the hand he’s holding Marinette with, the motion breaking the force he’s using to hold her up. His body desperately tries to reach out to grab her, but he still can’t move and is forced to watch her fall past him. He remembers a similar situation with Volpina, but that had all been an illusion. This is undeniably real.

He screams so viscerally that it sands his throat raw. He doesn’t think he’s ever felt so much hatred and betrayal for one person and here it is, directed as someone that doesn’t even realise that they’re taking another life. He hopes Hawkmoth can see the burning rage in his eyes through his pawn.

A familiar zip noise fills the air and suddenly the weight of Critique’s grip is gone. Chat falls to the metal platform below and scrambles back from the edge onto more solid ground. He doesn’t realise he’s almost crying until he looks up to see the blurred figure of Ladybug wrangling the akuma. He wipes his eyes clear to see that she’s lassoed her yo-yo string around the hands of Critique, stopping him from accurately using his powers. She throws Chat his baton, falling off-balance from a psychic blast that sweeps her feet.

Chat jumps into action right away, lunging at the villain and bringing his staff down on his hands with all that he can muster. Ladybug regains composure and pulls the string tighter. Chat reels back for another blow, fuelled by rage, but is knocked aside by his partner.

“She’s okay, Chat!” Ladybug assures. She tries to get him to focus. “Do you know where the butterfly is hiding?”

Chat still feels the anger bubbling beneath his skin, but takes a closer look at Critique now that he has the chance, trying to remember that there’s an innocent person in there and that Marinette is fine. Ladybug caught her.

The grey suit is really all there is to Critique. The simplicity of it is on par with Ladybug’s own suit, lacking any kind of pockets or even a belt. The akuma’s face doesn’t give anything away either, holding the visage of the movie antagonist rather than the human underneath.

“Not a clue!” Chat answers, shouting in surprise as he’s flung away by a rogue wave of energy. “Maybe your Lucky Charm could help us?”

“Only if you have a plan to block his powers while I do it!”

Critique howls in rage and points his palms to the ground, forcing himself through the air. Ladybug is pulled along, sailing after him. Chat’s impressed that she can keep a hold of him even like this but needs to think quickly before they come tumbling down. He thinks his belt could be of use, but he needs them to come back down for that.

Chat extends his baton up, reaching it towards Ladybug. “Grab on and I’ll pull you back! I have a plan!”

He sways his stick to try and follow Ladybug so she can get a grip and thank her lucky spots she manages. He retracts his weapon, smirking when the force is enough to unbalance Critique and send him plummeting. He removes his tail-belt and holds it at the ready, nodding to Ladybug when she makes an effortless landing. She understands his idea right away and drags the akuma towards the railing of the tower while he’s in a daze from falling and makes way for Chat to tie his belt in loops around Critique’s wrists, stopping him from directing his powers towards them.

“Huh, we may not even need the Lucky Charm,” Chat Noir says in astonishment. He crouches by the akuma and starts inspecting him closely. “Not so scary now, are you?”

“Chat,” Ladybug warns. “Keep your guard up. We still need to find the butterfly.”

“I would show you, but it seems my hands are tied,” Critique sneers, splaying his hands in an attempt to push his way out of the situation.

“You’ll find that a Miraculous-made belt is quite fortified,” Chat replies coolly. “We have all the time in the world.”

Ladybug approaches now to inspect their criminal and frowns, mask contorting with her brows. “I don’t see anything obvious either. Let’s see if I can get a hint.” She throws her yo-yo into the air while striking that signature pose Chat loves so much. “Lucky Charm!”

What falls to her hands is small and polka-dotted as usual and it takes a few moments for both of them to register what she’s been given. A pair of scissors is what Chat would name it, though they have a peculiar dip and straight edge on one side.

“Fabric scissors,” Ladybug clarifies, eyeing the item thoughtfully. “It’s the suit, it has to be!”

Critique groans and struggles against his binds as Ladybug approaches. “That power is seriously unfair!” he complains, his personality doing a complete 180 flip. He kicks his legs at Ladybug, looking more like a child now rather than the calculating menace from before.

“And trying to drop someone with no powers at all off of a tall building is fair?” Chat hisses. “Go on, Ladybug, let’s capture this akuma.”

“Gladly,” she says, grinning. She approaches with the scissors and tugs on Critique’s suit, cutting a small hole which seems to be enough to release the butterfly. Her smile turns triumphant. “Gotcha.”

She throws her yo-yo, catching the dark butterfly inside and after a moment releases it, purified and white as snow. Chat Noir sighs happily as she waves goodbye to the insect and dispels her Lucky Charm, repairing any damage that may have been done. Critique’s form morphs away and what’s left is a young boy—probably around ten years old—in a colourful superhero costume that looks similar to what the hero protagonist wore in the movie. The revelation feels like ice being injected into Chat’s veins. He can tell Ladybug is angry, too, but for now she unties his wrists and places a gentle hand on his shoulder.

As with most akuma victims, he doesn’t recall anything that transpired and doesn’t know where he is. Ladybug tries to assure him that everything is okay when he begins to tear up but is interrupted by her Miraculous beeping at her, warning her that she only has minutes until she detransforms.

“Don’t worry, my lady, I can look after him from here,” Chat says, smiling warmly to his partner. She returns the smile and nods, leaping off of the building with the zip of her yo-yo soon following. Chat turns to the kid. He feels terrible about his anger earlier, but everything turned out okay in the end. “Want to go find your parents, superhero-style?” he offers.  
  


* * *

  
Adrien manages to find the child’s parents rather easily, as they’d been there when Hawkmoth had possessed him and followed with the police. They thank him graciously, holding their child like they’ll lose him all over again and even apologise for the trouble. He finds out that the kid is a big fan of the movie franchise and Marinette’s criticisms had really hit a nerve. Adrien tries to assure them as Chat Noir that Ladybug has already made sure that Marinette is safe and that no harm was done. The police clear off once they see that everything has been resolved and that leaves Adrien to find someplace to detransform, catching Plagg when his suit dissipates.

He places the tired kwami into his shirt pocket and pats it. “I’ll get you food soon,” he assures. “But first I need to find Marinette.”

Plagg groans unhappily but otherwise stays quiet as Adrien leaves his hiding spot to wander about the terrace below the Eiffel Tower in search for his friend. It’s entirely possible that she’s already asked someone to come and take her home, but if she hasn’t then he wants to be the one to help her home. He needs her to be safe.

His heart clenches when he spots her, pink jeans giving her away. She’s sitting on a bench by the roadside, texting someone on her phone. Adrien tries not to run, but the urge is almost overwhelming. 

“Marinette,” he says, relief washing over his entire being. He doesn’t even care that the first thing he does is sit down and pull her into a hug. “You’re okay!”

She squeaks, clearly not expecting Adrien’s presence or the sudden contact, which he feels a little bad about. Not enough to let go, but still. “I’m-I’m… yes? I’m fine! Are you?”

“Who cares?” Adrien laughs, ridiculously happy that one of his best, kindest, most sweetest friends is okay and wow does he feel like crying again. He feels more rattled by the events than Marinette appears to be.

“I do,” Marinette murmurs, eventually hugging back. “You almost got taken out by a claw machine.”   


“And you almost fell from the top of the Eiffel Tower. I don’t see how what happened to me compares,” Adrien states, pulling back to give her a look over. Ladybug wouldn’t have let her get hurt and he knows that, but he still feels the need to check. “I’m sorry tonight turned out this way. Can I at least offer you a ride home?”

She opens her mouth to answer and hesitates, closing it again. He can’t understand what the hangup would be, but eventually she nods. “That would be nice, thank you. But… you don’t need to apologise for tonight. If anything, I should. If I hadn’t said those harsh things…”

Adrien shakes his head. “You didn’t mean to hurt anyone, Marinette. You can’t blame yourself for having an opinion.”

She looks like she wants to disagree but doesn’t push the subject further. Adrien really wishes he could say more to help without breaching information about the victim that only Chat Noir knows, but he should focus more on getting her home safely. He calls Gorilla and gives directions on where to pick them up, letting him know that they’ll need to make a stop at Marinette’s before going back home.

“He shouldn’t be long,” Adrien informs, still feeling the high of seeing Marinette safe and sound. “Maybe we could try this again on another day? Hopefully with less akumas.”

She glances up at him, eyes uncertain. It brings back Adrien’s nerves from earlier in force. “You would want to?” she asks quietly.

Adrien wishes he knew what it was about him that made Marinette so unsure that he wants to spend time with her. “Yeah, of course. It doesn’t have to be just us, though,” he says, wondering if that would make her feel better.

Something in Marinette’s expression changes, but he can’t quite place it. “That’d be nice,” she agrees. “Alya and Nino are a lot more invested in each other these days, so I don’t know how much luck we’ll have getting them to come along. I mean, look what happened tonight,” she huffs.

Adrien lets out a short laugh and thinks over who else they could bring along to hang out with. His mind is cast back to the day he and Ladybug needed to fight off Frozer. That day it had been Kagami, Luka, Marinette and himself all trying out ice skating. Admittedly, Adrien hadn’t wanted to be alone with Kagami, so he had asked Marinette along and then she had invited Luka. He wants to say it was nice, but Kagami can be really… intimidating. Marinette had been rather off that day as well, though she seemed to enjoy being with Luka before she fell.

He wonders if Luka is the mysterious boy she likes. He wouldn’t be surprised, based on that day alone.

He’s startled out of his thoughts as Gorilla pulls up in front of them, expression stoic when he rolls down the front window to show Adrien that it’s him. Adrien stands and offers his hand to Marinette, all too aware that he doesn’t really need to help her walk the few steps towards the car. It doesn’t stop him from wanting to and thankfully she doesn’t question the gesture.

He opens the door for her as well, allowing her in first and then sliding into the back with her. Gorilla already knows where to go to get to the Dupain-Cheng bakery and starts driving as soon as they’re buckled in. It’s a silent ride to Marinette’s home, but most drives with his bodyguard are quiet. He still doesn’t know if he’s ever heard the man speak.

When they park by the front of the bakery Marinette shuffles to get out, offering a short smile to Adrien and Gorilla. “Thank you for the ride. And… the movie? I’ll see you at school?”

Adrien beams. “You’re welcome, Marinette. See you at school.”

She closes the door and waves to Adrien, which he responds to in kind. He keeps his eyes on her even as they drive away, only turning back when he sees her enter her home and finally relaxes, letting out a sigh. He doesn’t know if he’s much closer to being better friends with Marinette, but he knows for certain that he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme know what you think & if you have any suggestions! maybe a little critique? õwõ


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an obligatory marichat bedroom scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cannot tell you all enough how FUN it is to write about lovey dovey dorks ohhh my god. also alya c:< these chapters are a blast to write & this is my first one without a scene break!

He told himself that he wanted to keep Chat Noir out of this, but following the events of tonight it’s difficult not to. He already checked in on Marinette as Adrien, but it would be strange if he didn’t as Chat Noir, considering that he watched her fall and hadn’t seen her after the fact.

He’s almost guaranteed as much time as he needs, too, when he leaves his home from his bedroom window. It’s hard to hide the fact that there was an akuma attack while he was out at the movies, but that means he can easily say he’s tired after all the excitement and slip away to his bedroom to sleep, even at such an early hour.

It also means that when he arrives back at the Dupain-Cheng bakery he doesn’t have to worry about waking Marinette up. Her room is lit up when he looks from the roof across the street, which gives him the extra push he needs to leap over onto the terrace before he can lose his nerve. He lands lightly and taps on the skylight leading into Marinette’s room, not wanting to startle her.

He stands back when he hears the latch being undone and waves when Marinette’s confused face pokes out of the door. “Chat Noir?” she asks in shock, then carefully adding, “What are you doing here?”

Adrien hesitates on what to say. He would usually play the question off with a joke, but he wonders if he should be a little more serious this time around. If Ladybug hadn’t swung in at the last second… well, he wouldn’t be having this conversation. Every time his mind wanders back to what could have happened his heart feels like it’s being stood on.

“I just wanted to check in with you after tonight,” he starts, tone laced with concern. He gestures a hand down to the entrance she’s peeking out of. “May I?”

Marinette pauses for a beat before shuffling back down and sitting aside, allowing him entry. He jumps down, making sure not to land with his feet on her bed and bounces a few times when he hits the mattress. He glances around the room and smiles. It hasn’t really changed since he was last here, with the only difference he can pick being a few new images from the latest magazine he appeared in on her walls...

“So, about tonight?” Marinette presses, drawing Adrien’s attention back to her. She looks flustered. “Ladybug swooped in and saved me. I wasn’t hurt, if that’s what you were worried about.”

Adrien shifts around on the bed, trying to get comfortable. “Well, I was worried at the time for sure, but as soon as Ladybug showed up I knew you were okay. I wanted to talk more about the victim, actually. The akuma? It was a boy, probably a few years younger than yourself…”

“Oh.” Marinette’s eyes fall to her lap and she begins to fidget. “I didn’t know him, if that’s what you’re wanting to know. I was just seeing a movie with a friend, and I guess he overheard what I had to say about it.”

Adrien nods, acting like this is new information to him and giving a thoughtful hum. “I met with his family after and they were really worried about you, even the boy. He was hoping to apologise to you, but you hadn’t been around. Turns out he didn’t really enjoy what had happened either, but wanted to deny that he didn’t like it and got rather defensive when he heard your open criticisms,” he explains. “I wanted you to know that there were no hard feelings towards you, just in case you were feeling guilty. I take it by your reaction that you have been?”

She sighs in defeat, falling back against her bed with her hands over her face. “Yes,” she murmurs. “It’s just hard knowing that you caused someone to feel so bad that Hawkmoth decided to target them. I want to be better than that. And I was with someone, too! He probably thinks I’m terrible now…”

Now it’s Adrien’s turn to fidget. He thinks over his words carefully before letting too much information slip past, despite wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and tell her how wrong she is. “I’m sure he doesn’t think that, Marinette. Even if he was upset about it—not to say that he was—friends forgive each other, right?”

He worries that he sounds too sincere for it just to be friendly advice, but Marinette appears caught up in her own world. It takes moments for her to come back, but even then there’s something somber in her expression. “He means a lot to me, though,” she states, a muddle of emotions strewn through her words. “And I don’t want to be someone who brings more bad experiences into his life, you know? He has enough of that at home, by the sounds of it. He always seems so miserable when he has to go home for the day.”

Adrien swallows hard. Heat rises to his face and he doesn’t know if it’s because he’s feeling bashful or because she’s talking about him like _that_. The tears that prick at his eyes give him his answer. He blinks them away, thankful that she isn’t looking at him and tries to collect himself.

It’s hard to be Adrien with all of the expectations placed upon him by his father, but he didn’t think anyone else had noticed how much he struggles. If anyone in his friend circle had caught on to what his life was like he would guess Nino, but not Marinette. He didn’t think he was important enough, considering all of the responsibilities she already juggles. To hear the genuine care in her voice breaks him down in a way that he doesn’t know how to deal with.

He wonders if this is why they have such a hard time talking to each other? He can imagine the kind of pressure there would be if he was the one trying to be a positive influence in someone else's life.

“Chat?” Marinette asks, noticing his choked silence. “Are you okay?”

Adrien nods, because that’s all he feels like he can do. He takes subtle breaths in, trying to will away the tightness of his throat. “Ah– yes, just… emotional, after tonight. It was a very close call,” he croaks. It’s not really a lie, but not the truth, either. He did feel quite fragile even before coming here. “I will admit that I did come here for my own sake as well. I doubt I would have slept tonight if I didn’t see for myself that you were unharmed.”

Her expression softens and her hand finds his—a gesture that has nagging familiarity. “Thank you. That was really sweet of you, Chat."

They share a long moment, gazing at each other in what feels like mutual appreciation of the other’s presence, only for it to be broken when there’s a knock on the trap door leading out of Marinette’s room.

Marinette yelps in surprise and before Adrien has a chance to react he’s enveloped by bedsheets and pushed down onto the bed, up against the wall. He’s pretty sure a few pillows are tossed onto him as well in an effort to cover him up further. “Be quiet,” she whispers to him, then she addresses the person knocking. “Yes?”

He can hear the hatch opening and a feminine voice speaks. He recognises it as Alya. “So you are alive,” she huffs. Adrien has to wince at the comment. “You can’t just ask for me to come and get you and then say ‘nevermind’ and stop responding! I was worried.” The bed dips and Adrien really hopes that’s Marinette sitting against his foot and not Alya.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette murmurs. “Um, Adrien took me home in the end.”

There’s a long pause and Adrien really, really wishes he knew why.

“That’s it?” Alya prompts, something smug in her voice. “C’mon, Marinette, you gotta give me more than that!”

“Nothing happened!” Marinette squeaks. “And if you two had _been there_ —”

“Oh, _come on_ , Marinette. Are you really mad at me for trying to—”

“I caused an akuma attack,” Marinette blurts, causing another bout of silence. Adrien feels like his heart has leapt into his throat, mind racing to keep up with a conversation that has him lost on a lot of its context without seeing Marinette or Alya’s faces.

“That was you?” Alya practically whispers. “Oh my god, Marinette. Do your parents know?”

There’s movement and Adrien would like to think Alya is offering Marinette a hug. “No, of course not,” Marinette responds, just as quiet. “They worry enough as it is, I don’t need to give them more reasons to consider banning me from leaving the house outside of going to school.”

“What about Adrien?” Alya asks next. “Was he alright?”

“The akuma was after me, not him. I, um… well. That movie was terrible, in case you were wondering. I made a few comments to Adrien that were overheard.” She’s still trying to keep her voice low, but if Adrien has to strain to hear her with his Chat Noir hearing, then he doubts anyone else can hear her other than Alya.

“If it makes you feel any better, they would have been after me instead if I had gone,” Alya comments. “I would’ve torn it to shreds if ‘terrible’ is the word you wanna use to describe it.”

He hears Marinette laugh for the first time since everything happened and it melts away most of his worry. She’s so lucky to have a friend like Alya. “Yeah. It was really scary, though.” Another pause. “Chat Noir almost gave up his Miraculous for me.”

“He _what_?” Alya shouts, louder than either of them had been talking. Adrien can’t HELP that he flinches, okay?

“Wait—!”

The blankets are pulled off of Adrien before Marinette has a chance to stop it and he’s faced with a wide-eyed Alya. He gives a sheepish grin and waves much like he did when Marinette opened up her window to find him on her roof.

“There’s a superhero in your bed,” Alya comments, almost matter-of-factly. She directs her stare to Marinette. “Why is Chat Noir in your bed?”

“The same reason you’re here,” Marinette mumbles, face bright pink.

“And does he hang out here a lot?” Alya asks in an accusatory tone.

“Not at all!” Adrien cuts in, startling both girls. He can see that glint in Alya’s eyes, the one that she gets when she finds potential for a story, and he does not need her thinking that there’s a scandal going on here. “This isn’t regular at all. I was just really worried about Marinette. After all, I didn’t know if Ladybug would come to save her in time when she fell.”

He notices Marinette gesturing for him to be quiet a little too late.

“She _what_?” Alya screeches again, rounding back on Marinette, who shrinks under her glare. “You are so lucky that _I’m_ not your mother, because I would be grounding you for the next month! Oh my god, Marinette! No one knew what was going on up there from the ground level other than there being a hostage! You _fell_?”

Marinette tries hushing Alya, resorting to trying to cover her mouth when she keeps going. “Alya! I don’t need my parents coming up here, too!” she hisses. “I’m fine, okay?”

Adrien feels bad for causing such a stir, but how was he to know? He was assuming that Ladybug had dropped Marinette down to the ground level before coming up to help him out, but now he’s pretty uncertain on that idea. He stays quiet while the girls argue, wondering if he should try to leave before he lets slip any other unsavoury details about the encounter.

Of course, Alya is on him like a hawk at the slightest twitch of his ear. “And you!” She prods him in the chest with her finger. “Giving up your Miraculous? What’s the logic behind that?”

If he didn’t know Alya he would think she’s angry with him, but Nino has told him plenty of times about her mother henning him for doing something thoughtless. It’s still intimidating to be at the end of, but he knows it comes from a place of caring.

“I know it sounds terrible, but it felt like my only option. He had us both over the edge and Ladybug wasn’t there yet,” he winces, wondering how Ladybug would feel if she knew. “He said if I gave it to him he wouldn’t drop Marinette. He did it anyway, but… what kind of hero would I be if I said no?”

Alya’s expression falls from frustration to a look of unease. “I guess… not a great one. And even if Ladybug’s power restores things to how they were…” Her eyes drift to Marinette and everyone seems to be sharing the same grim thought. “I wouldn’t want that on my conscience.”

“But it didn’t happen,” Marinette reminds them, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m alright! Not a scratch on me and look at this, I have my best friend and a superhero in my room wanting to make sure I’m okay! How lucky am I?”

Her smile is forced, but it helps Adrien and Alya to find their own grins again.

Alya loops an arm around her shoulder and gives her hair a light ruffle. “Too lucky for how much of a clutz you are, that’s for sure,” she teases.

Adrien watches the exchange, wondering how they would feel to know that what happened tonight has happened before, to some extent. Although, he can’t imagine that mentioning that Hawkmoth has had the upper hand twice now would be comforting to anyone.

He decides to leave it for now and gives a yawn coupled with an exaggerated stretch, drawing their attention. “Well, I should be going, then! Superheroes need beauty sleep too, and sixteen hours is hard to get unbroken, I tell you,” he jokes.

“Aw, leaving already?” Alya whines with a pout. “Well, don’t be a stranger, Chat Noir. Maybe next time you stop by we can all do our hair and paint our nails. Sound good?”

Adrien laughs, feeling the worry bleed out of him. “For you? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He makes a move to leave, but is caught by Marinette before he can stand. She’s trying to look anywhere but at him and pulls him forward into a tight hug. “And thank you again…” she murmurs, face buried in his shoulder.

He hugs her back. Of course he hugs her back. This is Marinette we’re talking about; sweet, kind and thoughtful Marinette. He can see Alya smirking at him from over Marinette’s shoulder, but he can’t find a reason to care when someone who cares _so much_ about his civilian self is thanking him for doing what’s admittedly the bare minimum. His heart flips in a way that startles him enough to let go, pulling back and finally standing to leave.

“Try not to stay up too late, girls!” Adrien rushes as he crawls up through the skylight, giving a short wave to the two and bounding back home feeling better than he has all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> adrienette? never heard of her.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien may have a problem. He realises this about a week after the akuma attack over a bowl of cereal the morning before school.

He’s thinking about Marinette again, so lost in his thoughts that when Nathalie enters the dining room he startles enough to launch his spoon into the air. Nathalie is nonplussed as usual, informing Adrien that he only has a few more minutes before he’s expected to be leaving for school and stepping back out of the room.

His heart is beating wildly as he cleans up the mess he made on the table, face beet red when he sits back in his chair. The room is silent, a stark contrast to how his mind has been all morning. “Plagg,” he whispers. “Is something wrong with me?”

He hears shuffling in his book bag, spotting Plagg’s black head poking out. “Well, I’m not too well-versed in human sickness, but I can certainly take a look.” He floats out of the bag and up to Adrien’s face, turning it either way with his tiny paws and getting a closer look into his eyes. He hums, a slight twinkle to his eyes. “Physically, you look fine. So, if we rule that out… tell me, are you still obsessing over that girl?” He can hear the smirk more than he sees it

Adrien sputters, but Plagg hit the nail on the head there. The kwami guffaws. “There’s your answer, then. You’ve got a case of the feelings,” he teases.

Adrien is ready to argue, but Nathalie returns as he should have expected and he has to drop the subject while Plagg hides. He picks up his book bag, following Nathalie out to the car and getting in, stuck in his thoughts again as the car gets moving.

Deep down he knows that Plagg is right, but hearing the words aloud makes it too real for him all of a sudden. He isn’t ready to move on from Ladybug, despite her and Plagg suggesting it would be in his best interest. It feels like betrayal to Ladybug, but more than that it also doesn’t feel fair to Marinette. He doesn’t want to view her as a ‘second choice’ and pursue her with that in mind. And, as he’s established with himself, she’s already interested in someone. All of these emotions are probably just a result of stress, anyway.

It still doesn’t make things any easier when he arrives at school and spots Marinette almost immediately. She’s with Alya as always and seems to notice his lingering stare, offering him a polite wave before turning back to her friend.

That’s the other thing that isn’t making this work; Marinette has been a lot more closed off since everything happened. With his insight as Chat Noir, he’s thinking that she still feels like Adrien is disappointed with her in some way, but there’s never really been an opportunity to explain that it isn’t the case. School isn’t the best environment to have that kind of talk and so far he’s been too nervous to call her after school, as if he isn’t allowed to do that.

Nino notices his mood as soon as he walks up to Adrien, raising his hand for a high five that he weakly returns. “You alright, dude? You look like you haven’t slept,” he comments.

Adrien gives a slight shrug of his shoulder. “A lot on my mind, actually.”

“About Marinette?” Nino asks, following his gaze towards the girls. “Y’know… Alya told me about what happened. I’ve just kinda been waiting for you to talk to me about it, but maybe I should’ve asked sooner.”

Adrien winces. He had no idea that Nino knew, but it’s totally logical that Alya would tell him about it. He must really be out of touch if he can’t put in the mental effort to realise as much. He takes a breath in and nods. “There’s not much time before class starts, but we can talk at lunch?”

Nino grins and places an assuring hand on his shoulder. “Sure.”

And so that’s what happens. Adrien gets through his first set of classes much too aware of Marinette sitting behind him and by the time lunch rolls around he’s whisked away by Nino for an interrogation.

He would usually go home for lunch, but Nino insists on some cafe food that they can talk over. In his head he wishes that they had gone to the Dupain-Cheng bakery when they both sit down at their table, but hones in on the thought before it can get too far. This cafe has meringue tarts and hot chocolate, he shouldn’t be so upset about that!

“So Alya told you about the attack?” Adrien asks. “All of it?”  
  
“Yeah, pretty much.” Nino has already started on his food, chewing down a mouthful of a toasted sandwich before he continues. “Even told me that Chat Noir visited Marinette after it was all over. I don’t think anyone really knows your side of things, though. Sure, you weren’t really in mortal danger, but… how are you feeling, dude? Honestly?”

He knew this was coming but still expected to keep face at the question. Instead he slumps in his chair, sighing. “Look, I… I’m really glad Marinette is okay. I don’t have any real reason to be so stressed out when everything turned out fine, but… can I be real with you Nino? Like, really real?”

Nino nods, waiting silently for Adrien to continue.

“I haven’t been able to stop worrying about Marinette,” he admits, head falling into his hands. “Or just thinking about her in general. I’m worried it means I have a crush… Does it?"

Nino takes a pensive sip from the milkshake he ordered, leaving a milk moustache that takes the edge off of the seriousness of the conversation. He doesn’t think Nino has noticed. “Usually, yeah, but you don’t sound so sure. If Marinette ran in right now and asked you on a date, how would that make you feel?”

Adrien’s cheeks flush as he imagines the scenario. “Um… confused,” he answers simply.

“Because…?”

“Because… I don’t even know how I feel about her for sure yet? And I’m worried that this is just a fluke and I’m just projecting or something,” he rambles.

Nino raises a brow. “Projecting?” He finally notices the milkstache and wipes it away with the back of his hand. “You got another crush you haven’t told me about?”

He didn’t mean it like that! He waves his hand, hoping to push the topic away with it. “No, Nino! I meant more like… I’m acting like this because I’m paranoid that something will happen again? Like if I let her out of my sight I’ll wake up and it was all a dream, and she didn’t make it in the end…”

Nino leans back in his seat, frowning as he tries to figure it out. “Makes it sound like you’re just being protective if that’s how it is.”

“And that’s what I was thinking, but it’s hard!” Adrien sighs. “Because then I think, what if it does end up being a crush?”

Nino bites at his lip, hesitant to the point that Adrien feels like he’s said something wrong. “Would that be so bad?” he eventually asks.

“I mean… yeah?” Adrien answers with more uncertainty than he initially had. “I was under the impression that Marinette liked someone already.”

“Well…” Nino looks like he’s battling some serious inner conflict and Adrien perks with interest. Does Nino know something about who Marinette likes?

“You know something,” Adrien states more than asks. How could Nino not know? He’s dating _Alya_!

“I do,” Nino admits, tipping the front of his cap in front of his face. “But I’m under an oath. I can’t tell you anything, dude. If you really wanna know… Alya’s been saying that she’s had to cancel plans with Marinette this weekend, maybe you can ask her out?” He flinches. “Uh, in a friendly way, you know! Hanging out!”

That’s probably one of the last things that Adrien wants to do while he feels like this, but he knows that he won’t be getting anything else out of Nino, no matter how much he pushes. He just nods in the end, pushing the pasta he ordered around with his fork.

He glances up and recalls Nino mentioning Chat Noir. That might cheer him up. “You said Chat Noir visited Marinette? And Alya was there? How did that go?” he asks, quirking a brow.

Nino snickers. “Apparently he was hiding out in Marinette’s bed. Kinda weird, but he’s a weird dude. Sweet, though.” Adrien smiles, buzzing from the praise. “Definitely the kinda superhero that would go and check on someone. Surprised Ladybug didn’t, though.”

That is a little strange. Adrien’s face scrunches. “Well, she did save Marinette. Maybe she didn’t feel the need to?”

Nino rolls a shoulder. “No idea, but I guess that makes sense.”

It doesn’t settle the way he would like it to at all. He’s distinctly aware of the feeling that he’s making up excuses for Ladybug, but what other reason would there be to avoid Marinette? He knows Ladybug is kind and caring, perhaps even more than Adrien himself is. He makes a mental note to ask her the next time he sees her, but he’s nervous that he won’t get an answer that calms him.

He feels bad, getting caught up in his thoughts again when Nino is sitting right there. He can tell his friend is keeping quiet for Adrien’s sake, letting him have his moment rather than interrupting it by keeping busy with his meal.

“Nino… thank you,” Adrien says, watching Nino’s expression falter into confusion. “And sorry.”

“Uh, why?”

“Because you’re being patient with me, even though I keep ignoring you,” he explains. “I must have been acting like this all week, right? I feel bad, making you worry when the reason I’m so strung up is a little trivial.”

Nino blinks, stunned by what Adrien has said. “You’re like, the last person I’d expect an apology from for having a lot on your mind. Like you said, you’ve been in this funk all week, but I know that if it was Alya who had a run in like that? I’d be stressed out of my mind, too. I’m just glad you’re talking to me about it.”

“Still,” Adrien mumbles, tipping his head in remorse. “I should have talked to you sooner. This has actually helped me to clear things up a little, although I don’t think I can ask Marinette to hang out. She’s been pretty closed off towards me since what happened.”

Nino takes a long breath in, releasing it in one puff. “Okay, I’m pretty sure I can tell you this… She’s worried about you, too.”

“She is?” He tries to temper the surprise in his voice.

An affirmative nod follows Adrien’s question. “Yep, super worried. You gotta remember, you’ve been like this all week and I talk to Alya and Marinette a little more regularly than you do. So, when she heard that you haven’t talked to me about anything… let’s just say she won’t say no if you decide that you wanna catch up.”

There’s a swelling feeling in his chest and he wants to berate himself for ever doubting Marinette. He must be grinning, because Nino starts to snicker quietly, shaking his head.

“Now that I know what you’re thinking about, it’s speaking volumes,” he says. “If you’re not super hungry then I’d be fine finishing off your leftovers if you wanna go talk to Marinette.”

It’s embarrassing to be put on the spot like that, but at the same time Nino is absolutely right. Adrien has barely touched his pasta and at this point he isn’t too keen on finishing it. With a curt nod he stands, picking up his bag and fixing Nino with a grateful smile. “You’re the best.”

Nino looks away bashfully, fidgeting with his cap. “Yeah yeah, I know. You should get out there before classes start again.”

He doesn’t need any more prompting to take his leave from the cafe, full of intention as he pulls out his phone and opens up Marinette’s contact to message her, something he had been too nervous to do days prior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter is a little bit of a filler, but i think it's important that the boys Talk It Out


End file.
